Manifolding account-book.



Patented Aug. 22, I899.

J.' B. BEAVIS.

MANIFULDING ACCOUNT BOOK.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT Grimes.

JOHN B. BEAVIS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA;

MANIFOLDING ACCOUNT-BOOK.

s'PncIFIo'ATIoiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,455, dated August 22, 1899.

- 688,046. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN B. BEAVIS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in the city of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented a certain new and useful Account- Book, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of manifold account, order, and sales books whereby an original entry of the name and price of each article purchased or ordered each day by a respective customer may be kept and added to his past account and the customer and merchant each thereby furnished with a balanced itemized statement of such account at all times without the necessity of copying any item, the merchant devoting one book to each regular customer and keeping the respective individual customers books in a convenient cabinet or' case provided for the purpose.

The object of my invention is to provide a manifold account, order, and sales book by the use of which the manifold system of keeping accounts in stores will be perfected and the present necessity. of copying orders of goods taken by the order-clerk at the houses or residences of customers into the individual customers book will be avoided and by the use of which it will only be necessary to pull or slip the original order slip or sheet from the book used by the order-clerk out of his book and slip it bodily into the respective individual customers book next to the last used original slip therein to complete the customers book and make it a complete book of original entry of all that customers account. I11 using books of this class heretofore devised it has been necessary for the orderclerk either to carry with-him the several individual customers books on his route (thus taking out of the store the only record the dealerhas of such accounts) or to use a separate book for orders taken outof the store and upon arriving at the store to copy such orders into the several respective customers books. Theformer method has been found objectionable by the merchant for the reason that it requires the utmost care on the part of the order-clerk in taking from the store the numerous individual customers books not to mislay or lose one or more of them and thus leave the merchant Without any record .of such customers account or any memorandum of the amount thereof. A further objection is that in case a customer calls while the order- .clerk has such .customers book out with him on the route taking orders, as is frequently the case, the merchant in order to take his order must take it on a separate sheet and then copy itinto the book when the orderclerk returns to the store, or in case the customer Wishes to pay his bill the merchant must ask him to call again as he (the merchant) has no record of the account at hand. It is with the order-clerk. In practical use the second method is objected to for the reason that it requires the copying of orders and bills of goods, to save the copying of which i the manifolding system has been adopted and is used. In order to avoid these objections, I have after a long experience with the several books of this class now in use devised the account, sales, and order book hereinafter particularly described, and in which the principal feature is the provision of a series of original order-slips which are held in the binder or cover in such manner as to be, readily bodily and without tearing or changing the form or size of such leaves transferred from one book to another, thus permitting the order-clerk to take one of the books with him and upon his return to the store take the original order-slips from this book and slip them into the respective individual customers books and thus complete such accounts Without any copying of orders. 4 The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in

which- Figurel is a perspective view of an accountbook embodying my invention, the same being therein shown in its folded position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the book as it appears when opened and just before the clerk commences to enter a further order therein. Fig.3 is a perspective View showing the several parts in positions to more fully show the construction in detail. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a bundle of the original or record -Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2.

leaves or sales-slips removed from the binder after the same have been secured together, as hereinafter described.

As shown in the drawings, 2, 3, and 4 represent the three parts of my binder or cover. These parts may be made'of any preferred material, such as strawboard covered with cloth or other suitable material. The parts 2 3 and 3 4 are respectively hinged together, as shown, by a strip of flexible fabric. The hinges 5 and (3 are made of considerable length for the purpose hereinafter described. 011 the inner side of the part 2 and near the hinge 5 I provide a loop 7, preferably composed of flexible material and attached to the part 2, either by being passed between the strawboard and the cloth covering forming the part 2 or in other suitable manner. On the upper side of the part at and near the hinge 6 I provide a loop 8, secured thereto in manner similar to the fastening of the loop 7. To the free end of the part I I seeurea sheet of semicarbon 9, as shown in the drawings, the carbon-sheet being preferably pasted on the under side of the part 1 and adapted to fold over the upper side thereof, as shown.

For the duplicate slips I provide a series of slips or sheets 11, bound in a block to a suitable backing 12 by means of staples 13, and near the staples 13 provide each sheet or slip 11 with a line of perforations to facilitate the tearing of the sheet 01' slip,as hereinafter mentioned. The backing 12 is slipped through the loop 8 and rests on the part l, the sheets 11 being of such a length, preferably, to come to the extreme end of the part 1.

For the original or record sheets or slips I provide a series of sheets 14. These sheets are slipped through the loop 7 and are folded back over the loop 7 at their longitudinal centers, as shown in the drawings, before being used. As each sheet 1 1 is used it is passed under the part 1. The total of the sales shown on such sheet is added to the amount of the account existing prior to such sales, and such total is placed on the back of the next slip 14, near the fold, and forms the new balance or amount of past account and is the only set of figures in view when the clerk comes to enter the next order, as hereinafter explained. The sheets or slips 11 are provided at their folded centers with two or more holes 15 for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

It is obvious that,if desired,I may use sheets or slips similar to the sheets or slips 14 in place of the slips 11 for the duplicate copies, and in such case the duplicate sheets would be provided with a line of perforations to facilitate the tearing, as in the sheets 11 shown.

In use when a customer calls to get goods or leave an order therefor the merchant or his clerk steps to the cabinet holding the several books and proeures therefrom the individual book of the customer so desiring to order or buy goods. The book is opened by pulling back the part 2 from the position shown in The carbonsheet E will then be folded over onto the face of the sheets 11, as shown in Fig. 2. On the sheet 14: next to be used and near the folded end thereof will be found the balance of past account, represented in the drawings by the figures 11.25. The merchant then folds the sheet 14 over the carbon-paper on the sheet 11 and writes on the sheet 1 1 the word Balance and in the column at the right of the sheet places the figures 11.25. He then takes down the order, writing the several items or names (and amounts) of articles purchased or ordered directly under the Word Balance, extending the price of the goods purchased in a column directly under the balance 11.25, and after securing the whole order adds or foots up the column, turns the leaf 11 under the part 1, places the balance on the end of the next leaf 14, as before, tears off the duplicate slip 11, and passes it to the clerk whose duty it is to put up the goods for delivery. The individual customers book is then replaced in the cabinet, being fully entered up and balanced and ready for the next order, the account thereby shown being an original-entry account and fully itemized and balanced at all times. The duplicate slip is sent to the customer with the goods and always shows the correct balance then due, and these duplicate slips taken together give the customer an itemized statement of his account. The original slips remain in the cover or binder until all the original leaves therein have been used or the account closed, when they are removed and fastened together by passing a string through the holes 15 and tying its ends together.

In taking orders at the houses and places of residence of the customers the order-clerk that is to say, the clerk who calls at the houses of the customers and takes their orders for goods, returning to the store and thereafter having the goods delivered from the store to the house-takes with him one of my books, which is identical in form, construction, and arrangement of leaves with each individual customers book, leaving the individual customers books in the store, so that if a customer calls while the order-clerk is out the customers book is ready to receive his order, or in case the customer calls to pay his bill the merchant has the customers account at hand fully balanced an itemized, thus enabling him to check up with the customer and settle the account. The orders of the respective customers are taken in d uplicate by the order-clerk, and when he returns to the store he goes to the cabinet containing the several individual customers books, secures therefrom the amount of past account, writes the word Balance and the amount thereof at the top of each order, and foots up the same. The original slips are then bodily withdrawn from the book used by the orderclerk without tearing the original slips or in any manner changing their form or size, the leaves being loose and not fastened to one another and transferred to the respective customers books, Where by slipping the original or record slip 14:, containing the order thus taken by the order-clerk, between the last-used original or record leaf or slip therein and the next unused record-slip the customers book is balanced up and the account completed. It is thus seen that in order to keep the customers book fully complete with reference to the different transactions and items it is necessary only to transfer the respective sheets or slips 14 from the orderclerks book to the individual customers book and carry forward the balance to the top of the next record-leaf. After this has been done the order-clerk passes the duplicate copies of the orders taken by him to the clerk having charge of filling orders and the delivery thereof, the goods being put up and the slips sent with them to the customers. It is thus seen that each customers book by thus bodily and intactly transferring the original record-slips from the order-clerks book is always fully balanced to date without copying any order or entry of sale or bill of goods and that at all times the individual customers books are ready should a customer call to order or purchase goods or pay his bill.

In the drawings I have shown the slips 14 provided with holes 15 at their folds. When all the slips 14 in a book have been used or an account is closed, the used slips 14: are withdrawn from the loop 7 and a string passed through the holes 15 and knotted, thus securin g the slips together. In this condition they may be readily handled and kept in any suitable place for future reference. By thus making the record or original slips 14 bodily transferable from book to book and readily withdrawn from each book a considerable waste of slips or sheets 14 is prevented.

In place of'using the loop 7 on the end of the part 2 and near the hinge 5 I may, if desired, place the loop 7 on the part 3 and near the hinge 5, or, if desired, I may provide a loop 7 in each of these positions.

I claim to be the first to provide an account, sales, and order book wherein the leaves of original entry may be transferred bodily and intactly without tearing or severing the same and without in any manner changing the form or size of the leaf when transferred from its form or size before transfer.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new.

1. A manifold account, order and sales book comprising in combination a foldable cover or binder, a series of loose original or record leaves or slips, each sheet or slip of said series adapted to be withdrawn bodily and intact independent of the other sheets of said series and transferred from said cover orbinder to another cover of similar construction, a series of manifold slips or sheets retained in said cover or binder, and a sheet of semicarbon paper held on said cover in a po sition with relation to said original and manifold slips to be interposed between respective original and manifold sheets, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a manifold account, sales and order book, of a foldable cover, a retaining loop or device thereon, a series of loose leaves or slips adapted to be slipped under and retained in position on said cover by said loop, a second series of leaves, a second loop or device whereby said second series is held in position on said cover, and a sheet of semicarbon paper provided in connection therewith in position to be interposed between respective original and manifold sheets, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a manifold account, 7

sales and order book, of a foldable cover, a loop 7 thereon, a series of loose leaves or slips 1 1, a loop 8, a series of leaves 11, a suitable backing for said leaves 11 whereto the same are attached, and a semicarbon sheet provided in connection therewith and adapted to be interposed between a slip 14 and a slip 11, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a manifold account and order book, of a foldable cover, a loop thereon, a series of loose leaves or slips provided with holes 15, a loop 8, a series of leaves 11, a suitable backin g for said leaves 11 whereto the same are attached, and a semicarbon sheet provided in connection therewith and adapted to be inserted between respective sheets 14 and 11, substantially as described.

5. A manifolding account, sales and order book comprising, in combination, a suitable binder or cover, a series of loose original or record leaves or slips retained on said cover but adapted to be readily withdrawn bodily and intact therefrom, each of said leaves or slips adapted to be bodilywithdrawn intact from said cover independent of the withdrawal from or retention by said cover of the other leaves or slips of said series, a series of manifold leaves or slips retained by said cover, and a sheet of carbon-paper providedin position with relation to said respective slips to be interposed between respective original and manifold slips, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of July, 1898.

JOHN B. BEAVIS.

In presence of- FREDERICK S. LYON, R. J. BURGLEHAUS. 

